Dispensing apparatus



July 5, 1960 LE ROY c. VAN BRUNT 2,943,900

DISPENSING APPARATUS Filed May 23, 1958 INVENTOR LEROY C.VANBRUNT BY 71%;,

ATTORNEY RELEASING MECHANISM;

MECHANISM RELEASING 2,943,900 DISPENSING APPARATUS Le' Roy C. Van Brunt, Palmer, Mass, assignor to Westin ghouse Electric Corporation, East Pittsburgh, Pa., a coiporafion-of Pennsylvania 7 Filed May 23, 1958, 'Ser. No. 737,265

is Claims. Cl. 312-45 "This ."invention relates to dispensing apparatus, and ..more ,particularly to an improved dispensing machine in =whlich bottles oi? one or more sizes can be stored and dispensed.

v invention is particularly applicable to that type oi? dispensing machine having a storage magazine including a plurality of side-by-side compartments for storing bottles in wertical stacks or rows. To be easily serviced,

for bottle dispensing machines must be so con- .structed :as to-permit the supply of bottles to be replenquickly and'conve'niently. The peculiar configuration of-soft bottles generally does not permit them to be stacked in a stable manner and there is generally a tendency for the bottles to slide on one another'and fall pub'pf the magazine if they are not retained therein by some dependable means.

'E'Ehednvention is'alsoapplicable to a versatile dispensing machine of the type having a storage magazinewhich is capable of storing and dispensing any 'one of several 'ef: bottles or'a load of bottles including more than ioire bottlersize.

1 in accordance with :the present invention, there is 'providdpin abottle dispensing machine, an open front storageamagazine having Ia plurality of side-by-side compartanentsitor storing "bottles in verticalstacks o'r rows, and a apairiof'filpright, elongated members. The members are arranged in rearwardly converging relationship and spaced to define-a've'rtieally elongated slot Within each compartment for dependably holding the bottles at the neck. One of 'the upright members serves to retain th'e' bottles by engagement of its edge with the enlarged o shdulderportionsof 'the bottles, and, in order to take 'hhe' 'stress'df the'bottles*without damage to itself this upeight memberis made of rigid construction. The other hpiigljt member is made-either partly or wholly-of flexmaterial and it serves principally to retain the neck {d'f'thebott'le in engagement with the rigid strip. The Ffleiiible strip, however, permits -the bottle to widen the .slot when it is forced thereag ain s t during loading of the fmagazine, so that the enlarged crown end above the neck 'he bottle 'can pass through. In addition the edge of "the rigid member is positioned rearwardly of the edge of flexible strip to insure that the rigid strip takes fthe stress of retaining the bottles, thereby minimizing and' damage 'to the flexible strip, .It is a feature of s fi'li tit. the open "front 'porti'on'of the magazine, thus conspace and facilitating the loading of bottles.

: -The;vafious ohjectaiteatures 'and advantagesof this efntion will appearamore fully from the detailed deseription' whichrfollows,taken in connection with the --aceompanying drawings, forminga part of this applica- -1 ion, in which: i g V r -'::;:Fig. 1 1 i'sga horizontal sectional View of a dispensing imachine'magazineembodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a front 'elevational view of the dispensing 'mve itiimthat the" bottle holding means does noteband 3. abutting one 'side of the wall 10 and consists of the free end of the sheet metal material from which the Wall 10 p 2,943,900 Patented July 5, 19O

ice

partments 11 for storing capped bottles 12 one upon the other in vertical stacks or rows. The walls 10 are braced in position by angle braces 13 and 14, which also serve to connect the walls 10 to top and rear panels 15 and 16,

respectively, of the magazine. The compartments 11 are open at the front side to permit the bottles 12 to be inserted therein, capped end first, for retention by the bottle retaining means of this invention.

The bottles 12 shown in the drawings are of large (12 oz.) and small (6 oz.) size, the largestand smallest sizes currently dispensed by machine. These bottles 12, as well as bottles of similar and intermediate sizes, have a common 'cap end configuration; 'that is, each bottle 12 hasa reduced, neck portion 18 and an enlarged, shoulder portion 19 similar to corresponding portions of other bottles, so far as theirrespective external dimensions are concerned. The bottle retainers hold bottles by the 'neck and, even though these retainers are uniformly constructed, they are capable of holding many "sizes "of bottles. e p

,The bottle retainer illustrated in Figs. 1,2 and 3 in- 'cludes' a rigid member 20 anda partly flexible member .tical edge'jportions spaced from, but near, thetrear panel 16, in: spaced relation to =ea'chother, thereby definingfa vertically elongated slot 24 between them. Each slot 24 is of=a uniform 'sizetha't is slightly 'larger than the neck "18 =of a bottle :12 so that the bottles are capable of time stricted downward movement. However, the slot is narrowerthan the shoulder portion 19 of the bott1es 12, *so

that the upright member 20 engages the shonlder portion 19 and holds the stack in proper 'fr'ont-to-rear position when the stack of bottles is either stationary or moving downwardly toward the releasing mechanism.

Construction of the upright members '20 and 21 is facilitated 'by forming them as bifurcations of the walls 10; Each wall "10 and its members 20 and 21 appear :generally Y shaped when viewed edgewise, as in Figs. '1

The member ZOe'Xt'ends into a compartment .is iconstl ucted. The "other member 21, however, extends machine magazinezof :Eig.,:1. and fi'om which details of *into *the compartment 11 abutting the other side of the wall 10 and includes a portion thereof which is ofdouble It is azprincipal feature "of the present invention that the member 2 0-isof rigid construction, so that this m'e'mfber :resists .defOrmatiOn and damage to itself while preventing-the stored bottles- 12 from moving forwardly out 0f the magazine.

'In order-to-provide meanszfor admitting the cappedends of the bottles 12 'to the rear 'ofthe slot 24',-a separate e'd'ge merit toward the front of the magazine.

section orst'rip 23 for the membe'r 21 is formed of stain- 'les's spring steel or other corrosion res'ist'ant resilient ma-' a terial and isfast'ened byfTsuitable means between the p e t rigi sectin rot t ecm niberlllandangid, yertically extending'clampingstrip 25." ,The fastenin'gfmeanst tthqr e b r1 .1.p events, h pleatl omi i l n "add o the s r nlfi. ibei si en i s qap b e lfle in' rearwardly when the capped end 'of a bottlef12isjorced .s e st u n lo n h byr d in s o 4 and allowing the capped end of the bottle to passthere- -"that the rigid'imem ber 2Q willengagethe bottles 12 at1tl eir 1 shoulder portion 19 and prevent theirflongitudinal move- Preferably, the resilient strip 23 should ilex' resistance during rearward movement, when admitting the capped end of 'a bottle through the slot 24 to stored position, than during attempted forward movement, when it prevents bottles from moving forwardly from stored position.- In order to accomplish this idifierence in re- 's'istance for respective movements in opposite directions, the rigid clamping strip or member 251's disposed on the front side of the resilient strip 23. The clamping strip a extends with the resilient strip 23 and the pleated sec- 'tion away fromfthe fastening means, toward the slot 24. The clamping strip 25 terminates short ofthe' articleengaging edge of the clamping strip 25 but closer to the slot 24 than the pleated section of the member 21, thus 7 exposing a' substantial extent of theresilient strip '23 for engagement by the "bottles' 12' (see Fig. 3 Since a cantilevensresistance to bending depends not only on its cross-sectional properties, but also its unsupported'or free *length in bending; it follows that when the resilient strip '23 is flexed for rearward movement it bends with less resistance aboutfthe pleated section of r the member121 than when a smaller portion thereof is fiexedior forward .movement about the clamping strip'25: a V o 7 a a "The verticaliredge portion ofthe member '20 is posiv tionedg rearwardly ofthe verticalied'ge"portioniof the flexible ledge. strip 23 by atsmall distance such as' oneeighth of an inch, sothat'the rigid member 20 would first contact the shoulder*19"'of"the.bottleif it were to "move forwardly, the'purpose of this arrangement'being tominimize the amount of rubbingfcontact and consequent'wear' on the relatively thin edge of'the'strip 23. I i

. I Preferably, the member20 and the member 21 including its edge strip 23 extend into the compartment 11 at an angle of no less than 45 with their respective walls 10 7 so that they hold the bottle 12 in a more positive manner. included angle of less than 45 increases the chances f a bottle working its'shoulder portion 19 outwardly.

past the edge of themembers 20 and 21,'.thereby causing the crown or capto catch in 'the slot:24 and-restraining the bottle from downward movement; On thelone hand i a small included angle makes it easier to push the crown of a bottle through the slot, while on the other hand .a large included angle holds the'bottles more positively,

for this reasonan angle of from 45 to 60 is thought g to bea desirablerange.;;-

V :5 Fig. 4"illustratesgmodified bottle retamin'gim'eansm bodyi'ng the 'invention'i'whichj are formed'separately'ofth wall 10 and=suitably secured toilie rear panel, iof the magazine. f The modified bottle retainer inclildes .;rig ht,; .U-shaped channel 31 and apair ar ing -:mem i hers 32 -and 33, ;each"of which'isintegr'a'Hy and-rigidly .5:? connected to' thelchannel' -along'kthe longitudinal edge ,.thereof ,'iwith1 an includedangjle of approximately 45 I betwee'n each member and;theplanenfi'tliewallilti-iadjaj cent;thereto, By thissarrangemenhflthemembers-32"and 1 described embodiment. brother the members A and 33 extend fiom thechannel 31"inwardly' and toward the rear of the compartment l l and terminate in vertical 3 retaining means for each row of pair of elongated fmembers for reta mng at he e k nd1 l rn fiene- Salad arranged on1 opposite sides of .sa1d: row h "edge portions being spacedjapertto define M slottherebetween, said-sloth ing w der thar a portion of said articleand .narrowefiythansmd;

" H r structed, theother of sa d members co n edge portion s'that are spacedapar-t to define a vertically;

elongated slot adjacentthe rear panel 16 of, the compart ,1

ment. So that the members 32 and 33 will function in a manner similar to the members 20. and 21 of the previ-,

ouslydescribed embodiment, the .member33includes a."

flexible strip 36 of resilient material which is suitably V secured to a rigid portion of the member 33; as by, screws 7 and a clamping strip. 37 falong the lengthlof '-one;ldngitudinal edge thereof. A structural'feafure ofthe flexible strip 36 that distinguishes it from thegflexible-strip 23 of the other embodimentis a longitudinal "strip'38 of hard;

wear-resistant material which is: secured, as by welding,

tothe other longitudinal edge of the strip 36 in order to provide a durable contact; edge for thethin, flexible strip 36 of the member 33. The'wear resistantstrip 38;and

the flexible strip 36 ofthemember 33 cooperate QQP T9' vide the modified bottle retainer with a portion thereof'i that is capable of flexing rearwardly to admit the capped or ends of bottles 12 through the. slot 34, and which returns 7, to unflexed position to retain the bottles at'the neck from 'movement toward the frontopening i I J From thevforegoing it willbe apparent that an 'improved bottle retainer has been provided which isf sim ply; and inexpensively constructed, but at the same time is rugged and fdependablein service, all of which is attributable to the unique use and positioning of one rigid member and one flexible or partly'iiexiblemerhber making this bottle retainer. e 7

While the invention hasbeen shown in severaliforms, 7

it will be obvious to those skilled in the that it"is fiot so limited, but is susceptible of various other ch'ang'e's and modifications withoutdeparting firom the spirit.

thereof. 7

What is claimed is: a

1. In apparatus fordispensing having shoulder portions near one end thereof,'-'aixmagazine adapted to store a row of said articles "andhavi'ng a front 7 opening for admitting articles therjetopand article retaimhg' means for f each row of articles comprising a pairofielon 'gated members'fior retaining Saidart-icles :attheirrneck and shoulder portions-said members being iarranged'ion oppositesides of'said row, eachlof saidrmeniberslhaving' an edge por on, saidedge portionsibeing' rear-g wardly of said front opening and spaced :apart; to define an elongated slot therebetween, said ,slotibeing wider than said neck portion ,of said article and narrower than said one end of said article, one of said members being rigidlyconstructed'the other of said members comprising anelongated flexible strip of resilient material, .said edgc portion of said one member beingpositionedrearwafrd- .;ly of said edge portionof said other member, whereby said edge portion of said one member takesthe stress of retaining said articles and minimizes wear to the edge V 7 portion of said' other member. i r

' 2.11111 apparatus for dlspensmg i 7 shoulder portionsnear' one} end thereof, .a .mag aiz ne :adapted to store a row ofsaid articles therein j a f t opening admitting articles thereto,'.fafid converging relationship} each of-isaid m b is a .longitudinal body portion and an i edge rt of said article,.one of said -members 33 occupy positions in'their associated-compartment111 fs aid'edge portion of said'other niemberl l a 3. In apparatus'ifor dispensing artlcles of; the type hav 7 "tion of said 'one member being" positioned rearward sing" an eioning neck and shoulder portions near one end thereof, a magazine adapted to store said articles one upon the other in stacked relationship and having a front opening for admitting articles thereto, and improved article retaining means comprising a pair of spaced, upright, article retaining members defining a vertically elongated slot therebetween, the first of said members including a vertical portion of rigid material and a vertical strip of resilient material connected to said vertical portion along the length thereof, said resilient strip extending rearwardly in said magazine and toward said other member and terminating in a longitudinal edge portion, the other upright member being rigidly constructed and extending rearwardly in said magazine and toward said first member, and terminating in a longitudinal edge portion which is positioned rearwardly of the edge portion of said first member, said first member being arranged so that at least a portion of said resilient strip is flexed when said one end of an article is forced thereagainst to enlarge at least a portion of said slot and admit said one end of the article, the construction and arrangement being such that said resilient strip returns to unfiexed position and assists said other upright member in retaining the neck portion of said article in said slot.

4. In apparatus for dispensing capped articles having neck and shoulder portions near the capped end of the article, a magazine having a plurality of Walls forming at least one vertically elongated compartment adapted to store said articles one upon the other in stacked relationship and a front opening for admitting articles to said compartment, and improved article retaining means comprising a pair of upright members, said members being arranged on opposite sides of said compartment in rearwardly converging relationship, said members having vertical edge portions spaced from each other to define a vertically elongated slot therebetween, one of said members being rigidly constructed, and the other of said members having a vertical strip of resilient material along the said edge portion thereof, said other member being arranged so that the vertical strip is flexed when the capped end of said article is forced thereagainst to widen said slot and admit the capped end of the article therethrough, said edge portion of said rigidly constructed member being positioned rearwardly of the edge portion of said other member to engage the capped end of said articles and prevent movement thereof through said slot toward said front opening.

5. In apparatus for dispensing capped articles having neck and shoulder portions adjacent the capped end of the article, a magazine having a rear wall and a pair of side walls forming at least one vertically elongated compartment adapted to store said articles therein in stacked relationship and a front opening for admitting articles to said compartment, and improved article retaining means including a pair of upright members, said members being arranged in rearwardly converging relationship, each of said members having a vertical edge portion near the rear wall of the compartment, said edge portions being spaced from each other to define a vertically elongated slot therebetween, one of said members being rigidly constructed and having its edge portion positioned rearwardly of the edge portion of the other member, said other member comprising a vertically elongated strip of wear-resistant material disposed along said edge portion thereof and a vertically elongated strip of resiliently flexible material connected between said wearresistant strip and said rigid portion, the construction and arrangement being such that said resilient strip is flexed and said wear-resistant strip is movable rearwardly when the capped end of said article is forced against said other member to widen said slot and pass the capped end of the article therethrough, after which said resilient strip unflexes and said capped end of said article is engaged by said rigid member to prevent movement of said capped end through said slot toward said opening.

Childers May 20, 1952 Whitney et al. Apr. 21, 1953 

